Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-05-06
SEMI.TROPICAL FRUITS.
Orange-Growing in Central and Norther
Counties of the State.

Orange-Growing in Central and Northern
Counties of the State.
In a recent letter to the New York
Tribune upon California fruits, by Ben C.
Truman, he says:
There were 80 out of the 80 counties in
1886 in which could be seen bearing orange
trees, $50, 1897 in all, and of this number
Los Angeles county had 729, s65; San Ber-
nardino county, 2l4,531; Santa Barbara,
1879, and San Diego county, 5,571. These
four counties, with San Luis Obispo, con-
stitute what is properly called semi-tropi-
cal California, and from which will be
shipped during the present season to the
East 5000 carloads of the precious fruit,
200 carloads having been shipped during
the season commencing December 10, 1885,
and ending May 81, 1886. These oranges
are in their best flavor from the LIST of
April to the LIST of May. Just at present
the trees are in bud, blossom, green and
ripe fruit-a beautiful sight, indeed. The
orange is a noble and hardy fruit and does
well in Solano, Sonoma, Sacramento and
other central counties, and even away up
in Trinity and Tehama counties, and at
the base of Shasta itself Butte county,
which is well up IN the Sierra Nevada
mountains, has 1000 bearing trees, and
L idNNl' dHoIhCl luOulldlu COuUlN, f,IJJ
trees which have never yet suffered much
from FROST
There is famous orange tree in Butte
county that blossoms every year and puts
forth some of the finest and sweetest fruit
even in snowy weather and sometimes
bears so heavily that it has to be proped up
with dozens of fence rails or other timbers.
1t Is really one of the horticultural wonders
OF the State, and stands alone at Bidwelps
Bar, several miles from Oroville, the
county seat of Butte. Bidwell's Bar was
once famous mining camp, where Gen
eral Bidwell, once member of Congress,
discovered gold in fabulous quantities but
the town at last decayed, as the diggins
became worked out. The tree was planted
in 1859 with a single seed which had been
brought from Acapulco, Mexico. 1t is 16
inches in diameter, % feet in height, and
% feet through the branches. At one time
in February, 1862, the thermometer at Bid
wells Bar marked 30. and The foliage was
covered with sleet for two days, but it
blossomed in the month following and bore
fine lot of fruit in December, and the tree
again got covered with sleet and snow, but
sustained no injury. Since then, in another
year, the mercury at Bidwelrs Bar went
down to go, 24o, and 23o three days
in succession. The ground it stands on was
made, and is very rich. This tree has
produced in single year over 5000
oranges. Ripe fruit has been plucked from
it in fine condition while snow was lying
upon the ground. Snow frequently falls
at that place situated high in the Sierras,
but the orange belt in the neighborhood of
Oroyille is free from frosts and SHOWS. AT
Marysville the Bidwell Bar tree has mate,
which was planted in that city by a man
named Nightingale The tree is large and
good producer, although it is not as good
as the tree at Bidwell's Bar.
Fourteen years ago Dennis H. Dunn,
who has been gathered home to dwell in
that mansion not made by human hands,
planted an orange tree few feet east of his
dwelling, on Back street, Shasta. The plant
was set IN hole about four feet in diam
eter, and mostly sunk in bed rock, dug out
by VIM. H. Dunn. The tree received no
special attention. but was once topped. 1t
now stands thirteen feet high and is limbed
from top to ground, and every limb is
loaded with nice, bright, thin-skin oranges,
picture of tropical beauty in the foothills,
with snow-crowned Mount Shasta in the
background. This tree has this year borne
800 fair-siZed oranges, $50 of which have
been picked Oft
B. B. True has in his yard, corner of
Fourth and Ivy streets, Chico, Butte coun-
ty, one of the finest orange trees in that
section of the country. The tree is about
20 years old, but was planted in its present
location only ten years ago. 1t was taken
from Marysville, and as it has been trans
planted several times it has never borne
well until this year. Last season it had
only four oranges but this year it has over
200. The fruit is large, juicy and fine
favored
On the farm of H c. Soule, three miles
from Sacramento, between the upper and
lower Stockton roads, is an orange tree
which was only set out about eighteen
months ago, and which has now on it some
twenty large oranges. Mr.. Soule thinks
Sacramento is as good place for oranges
as any other in the State.
Several OF the Oldest trees in Auburn,
Placer county, yield annually from 1900
to 1000 oranges EACH James Wheeler,
whose foot-hill farm lies about five miles
south of Oroville, near Wyandotte, has en-
tered On plan to make his ranch one of
the most valuable in the State. His farm
consists of gently-sloping foot-hiil land,
and he and his three energetic sons are
clearing off 100 acres of their best land
upon which they intend to plant 10000
orange trees. Mr.. Wheeler has sixty large
orange trees, upon which he has raised as
fine oranges as have ever been grown in the
central pOrtlOu Vi the StaIe. IneSe trees
have paid him well, and he logically con-
cludes tina: if one acre will pay 500 one
hundred acres will in proportion AS fine
box of oranges as | ever saw grew on his
place two years ago.
The influence of the orange is most i'm
portant factor in promoting emigration.
The fruit Itself is inviting to the eye and
delicious to the palate, and its presence is
suggestive of sunny skies and pleasant
land. This golden sphere is the very
touchstone of the boomers OF choice acres,
and it is fragrant with perfect advertising
advantages that neither the vine nor the fig
tree actually possesses. During the times
when families are gathered together in
Eastern homes, with the snow many feet
deep about them, comes the orange with
its tale of sunny lands and cloudless skies.
Orange groves and orange blossoms are
full of pleasant suggestions, and the home
of the orange is the Eden of jewellers in
northerly climes.